Charges at Memorial and Penrose are roughly in line with each other, according to a report from the Colorado Hospital Association.
While charges for a particular diagnosis vary, officials at Memorial Health System believe their charges are roughly similar to Penrose-St. Francis Health Center. Continue Reading Apples to apples…

Health care history will be made when Teller County residents walk through the doors of their new 40,000-square-foot full-service hospital.
By 9 a.m. Oct. 1, the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital building will no longer teem with subcontractors, cleaning crews and touch-up painters. Continue Reading New era in health care…

Both public health and medical providers offer programs and services that address health concerns, while helping to sustain quality of life for our residents. They carry out a common mission: To enable people to live their lives to the fullest. But neither can fully accomplish this mission without the other. There are unique, specialized duties and responsibilities that distinguish public health from health care, but also strengthen our partnership to benefit our community. Continue Reading Public Health and Medicine:

When penicillin became widely available during the Second World War, it was a medical miracle, quickly overcoming the biggest wartime killer — infected wounds. But within four years after drug companies began mass-producing penicillin in 1943, resistant microbes began to appear.
Since 1947, scores of antibiotics have been introduced by drug companies and every one has been compromised by resistant bacteria. Continue Reading Evolving bacteria:

The calls come: a gunshot victim, a car accident, a fall off a ladder. And they respond – ambulances first, then trauma nurses in the emergency room, then sometimes surgery performed by specially trained doctors.
So far this year, American Medical Response has answered 5,800 trauma calls, with about 116 critical cases. Continue Reading Dealing with the trauma

John Bender wants to make not vaccinating a child in Colorado as socially unacceptable as smoking inside a restaurant.
He’s a doctor and president-elect of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians.
But, it might be a long time until Coloradoans adopt Bender’s philosophy, if recent state rankings are any sort of indication. Continue Reading Immunization in Colorado

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina is one of the first U.S-based health insurer to develop a formal relationship with a foreign-based hospital.
The company expects to add 12 additional hospitals to its international network during the next year. Continue Reading BCBS creates relationship with Thai hospital

Chloe Cunningham smiles as she’s lifted onto Tom-Tom, puts her feet into the tiny stirrups, and says, “Go!” as loud as her little voice can carry.
She is one of nearly 75 students who are enrolled in an eight-week rehabilitation and physical therapy program that uses horses instead of gym equipment. Part of the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Stables, the 12 horses, five paid staff and hundreds of volunteers help adults and children meet physical therapy goals. Continue Reading Horsing around

When people think about rehabilitation, they often think about recovering from amputations, strokes or other significant life-altering medical conditions that require physical therapy. And while they may turn to medications for minor aches and pains, rehab can be beneficial to patients suffering from dizziness or sore extremities, conditions that require occupational therapy treatment.
Physical therapy includes skills such as walking and self-propelling a wheelchair; occupational therapy helps with fine motor skills, such as putting a shirt on and buttoning it. But both can be part of a complete rehabilitation program. The key to successful treatment is for patients to understand that rehab is just one part of “whole” treatment. Continue Reading What to look for in a rehab provider

A bill signed into law this month by Gov. Bill Ritter could mean higher health insurance premiums – or it could simply be a way to more fairly decide who pays how much.
Senate Bill 1335 removes an insurance company’s ability to set premiums based on the health of employees. In some cases, insurance companies were raising premiums for entire companies if an employee suffered a chronic or major illnesses. Beginning in 2008, insurance companies doing business in Colorado won’t be able to do that. Continue Reading Debate about SB1335 still raging